1. Chapter One - We're Partners

Chapter One - We're Partners

Waking up at 7:00am every morning is a normal teenagers worst night mare, especially when it's just for school. Yes, notice how I said 'normal teenager', you will come to realise that I'm not that at all.

I don't skip classes, heck, I'm not even late to them. I don't go out to parties, hell, I'm not even invited to them. And I don't drink underage, geez, I don't even break the rules let alone the law.

It's not like I jump out of bed, 7:00am is still a bit early for me, so I drag my body out of the comfort of my double bed and I skip out of my room and down the corridor to the bathroom where I carry on with my morning rituals. My fingers tremble against the cold, smooth ledge of the vanity unit as I brush my teeth in a back and forth motion. I gently tug on the towel that is beside me and I purge my face from the excess water used to cleanse and refresh my skin.

I exit the bathroom after a voilent fist smashes against the wooden door. I look up to meet face with my older sister of one year who has gorgeous long legs, hair that is as soft as silk and a face that all the boys love.

"Take a picture, it will last longer" Tara snaps at me.

"I'd rather use my memory card for something better than your mug shot that you call a face" I shoot back.

I may be a 'good girl' as one may call me but I'm not a door mat, I don't let people walk all over me. Additionally, my mum says that although I don't have a tongue on me (figure of speech, meaning I don't talk back) I do have just that little bit of sass in me.

You may be asking yourself, what qualities do I posess to even qualify as a so called 'Good Girl', so lets learn a little bit about me.

I'm Alexandra Binks but people call me Alex, I've never missed a day off school, whether it being that I have the flu or just because I want to have the day off (which is never) I'm always at school. Being assigned home work or an assignment, I'm not going to lie, it isn't the best thing, I'd rather spend my night reading Harry Potter by J.K Rowling but home work is top priority so they are always done the night given.

Additionally, I've never really had a boy friend. The whole concept of touching kind of freaks me out. My sister has labelled me as 'fridget' but I haven't had much experience with guys. I can't even stand near them, not meaning that they actually want to stand near me. And also, the whole kissing thing creeps me out so that's why my sister enrolled me into health class, so I would become 'comfortable'.

Parties? I've never experienced a high school party nor do I think I ever want to. The whole concept of getting drunk and kissing people you've never spoken to is not my idea of a good night out. I'm not the smartest girl, not always straight A's. I've always managed to accomplish high B's along with A's but maybe it's the teachers way of telling me to push myself more. Never have I gotten a C, nothing below a low B and I want to keep it that way.

After I'm dressed and ready for school, I meet my sister at the bottom of the stairs. Grabbing my keys off the dresser and I'm out the door and in my car. The reason why I got my drivers license early is because Tara doesn't want to drive, she is worried she will break a nail which is impossible. So my parents worked their way around the law and managed to land me a license.

"Can you cover for me while I go to Crusty's this afternoon with Jake?" Tara asks me as she examines her nails, freshly painted cherry red.

"What ever" I just mumble, clenching my hand around the wheel.

As I turn into the school car park I observe the stereotypical groups we have at Penola Catholic College. You have the soccer players, who are highly absorbed in sport. You have the true ethnics (not meaning to offend), who only say "Yeah bro" and sound like they have their nose constantly blocked. You have the popular girls and guys, who mingle amongst each other, having no time for everyone else, fitting Tara in this category perfectly. You have the nerds, who are always in the library.

You have my friends, Bec and Lilly, who are the best people you will ever come across, yet we are barely known at the school. And then there is one more boy who has his own category, Luke Brooks, the high schools bad boy and player. I don't know much about him because the topic of discussing people isn't in my best interest. But what I hear is that he has a group and they film videos on YouTube and they're kind of big all over the world.

He lives up to his titles, I don't think he has gone an afternoon free of detention, it's not something to be proud of yet he doesn't mind. He swears at teachers, there are constant public displays of affection which our school doesn't tolerate and I hear that the boys toliets have fallen victim of the Bad Boys graffiti. Like a snake, he has slid over every popular girl in the school then leaving them heart broken, yet a week later they're still in love with him. He's the bang and ditch type. I hear that he's never gone on a date before yet he has girls flocking at his presence.

Girls at our school are the worst. They actually let sly animals like him take over everything that is theirs, if you know what I mean. They allow him to do it a repeated number of times, they allow it to happen to their closest friends and they actually are happy for each other that they got one night with him. Our gender is not the smartest in the city of Melbourne. I hear girls come from all over the country to get a look at him and they throw themselves at him to have one night of passion. I feel sorry for him that after all these girls that he's met, he still hasn't found the one. It sounds like nothing can satisfy the player. Not that I take any interest. He is Tara's type after all.

Locking my car, I stroll into school and I meet my friends by the corner of the corridor, it's where we always meet. We didn't chose each other when everyone chose their friends. We were kind of the only people without friends, even the nerds found each other quicker than us. Actually, Bec and Lilly saved me from being a nerd, telling me it was social suicide. We all have completely different personalities, which is great because we keep each other sane.

Bec is my best friend, she is a little overly sarcastic but she tells me that it's healthy. She also has the most experience with guys, so basically she is my go-to-girl if I ever need any advice, which I may never need. Not because I know what to do but because those things only ever happen to Tara. I'm not jealous of Tara, I'm happy that I was blessed with intelligence, not trying to sound stuck up or anything. I just value common sense and knowledge.

Lilly, she is innocent, similar to me but only because her brothers won't allow her to have a boyfriend. She is a sports fanatic, which is expected coming from a house of three boys. She is definitely competitive and she is extremely tough. She is slightly short tempered but she says that she just has a low tolerance for bull.

That's another thing about me, I've never sworn before in my life. I don't think that there is a need, honestly. Instead of saying the S word-head, you can simply say jerk. Or instead of saying the F word-ing, you can say fricken.

When homeroom was finished, I walked briskly to math class because today we were going extensively into compound interest which was a favourite of mine. Now you may guess that I sit right up the front but from me you should expect the unexpected. I actually sit in the middle because I've worked out that it is the most sociable area in class and I need to get my social statistics up.

And surprise surprise, I didn't sit alone, although Adam Mackain, the class clown was moved beside me because he was too chatty I took it as 'someone wanted to sit next to me'. He could have chosen the seat next to Charlie Dobbs who smells like a garbage truck, but no, he chose the seat beside me.

After lunch was the class I was most excited about attending purely because of the fact that both Bec and Lilly are in. It may be Health Class but I had my best friends enroll in it too and that was good enough to change it from an embarrassing subject to a funny subject.

"Miss said that today she was giving us an assignment" Lil said as we waiting patiently outside our classroom.

"Yeah, I heard that we were going to be doing it in partners" Bec replied, eyeing me. You know that thing friends do when the word partners is mentioned and they kind of give you the look, well I was given the look.

"Class, come in" Miss Dime said and the class followed her into the class room.

We were assigned seat so unfortunately I was seated up the front beside Georgia Chalks, note that we have been seated alphabetically so Bec and Lilly were in the middle and back as their last names begin with M and T.

"After roll call, I will inform you about your new assignment" Miss said with a grunt, she is one of those teachers who is completely bi polar and you have no idea what mood she is in.

Just like she informed us, after roll call she spoke about our new assignment.

"As you may already have heard, this assignment will make up most of your grade. It will run for one semester, meaning 2 terms. The assignment is known as 'Project: plastic baby'. Over the course of 2 terms it is vital that you keep this baby, happy, healthy and alive. The baby is just like a real one, one with the necessity to eat, sleep and have a nappy changed. If thrown from a great height or deprived from food this baby will shut down and be known as dead," the teacher paused and she fiddle with a jar.

"In this jar there is a paper slip. There are two slips with the same number, the person with the same number on your paper is your partner." Miss -with her left hand- shuffled and mixed the papers one last time before beginning at the front of the class to retrieve their papers.

I waited anxiously for my turn, silently praying that I got either Bec or Lilly. Or, someone who would actually work. Then again this means that I would have to spend two whole terms with this person, meaning we would be spending a lot of time together, so I prayed that I got someone tolerable.

Finally, Miss stood in front of me holding out the clear jar, full of slips of paper. I dived my hand in, with my fingers crossed I prayed one last time. I pulled out one slip of paper and I watched as Miss moved onto the next person. I held to paper between my thumbs before having a steady exhale and unfolding the paper.

Number 15.

I spun around in my seat and stared at Bec and Lilly, back and forth, until they got their papers. One, two, three. Bec and I mimed to each other and in unison we spoke with our lips, the numbers we got. Eight. She got eight, we were both disappointed that we didn't get each other, yet nervous about who we got.

Lilly got the number three, so no luck there either. I observed the class as they giggled with their partners which they were fortunate to get. Soon Bec found her partner, non other than Adam Mackain. Lilly and I waited by each other until Clare Mustachino came up to us. She is a good worker and I silently hoped that we were partners.

"Fifteen?" I blurted as she stood in front of us.

"Wow, sorry Alex, I've got three." she said, adjusting her glasses, she seemed taken aback and nervous that I spoke to her which was strange. Lilly and Clare went away to a corner of the room and discussed the matters at hand.

I glanced around the room and everyone had found their partner, I looked around the room one more and then I saw him. Sitting at the back of the class, flicking his folded piece of paper the webbing of his fingers. I exhaled 'Please no, please no'.

I began to walk from the front of the class to the back of the class. Bec caught my stare so she approached me.

"No way, you did not get him!" She squealed. She was more thrilled about it than I was.

"Let's find out," I replied.

We stood there in front of his desk and I had no idea what to say. Good job Alex, for the first time you are loss of words. Usually people have to shut you up yet here you are, speechless.

"Can I help you?" He asked in a deep and husky voice which was apparent to send Bec's knees weak. He hadn't even looked at us, he must have noticed our shadows looming over his desk. He had no manners whatsoever.

"Ugh yeah," I began having no idea as to what I was going to say. "By chance, your number isn't fifteen is it?" I asked hoping that it truely wasn't.

He sighed heavily as though it were an effort and opened the small paper. He turned the paper so I could now see and written in the same handwriting was written '15'. Finally, with a small streak of manners he looked up to us and his eyes some what widened and his eye brows raised ever so slightly.

I took this opportunity to have a good look at my new partner. It was no wonder he was the schools player, he had the looks to suit it. His rich chocolate brown eyes could easily send a girl swooning if they ever laid upon hers. His slight smirk gave him a cheeky essence which is appealing. His deep, husky voice could get a girl wound up if he was talking to her.

"I guess you're in luck, or maybe I am." He said flirtatiously, which suggested that he was overly confident, in some respect, cocky.

I knew that I was going to have trouble with this boy, he's the obnoxious, dependant and untorable type.

"So, yours or mine?" He asked with a smug smile on his face.

"Really? You are flirting with me? We have to look after a plastic baby together for 2 terms that has the urge to go to the toilet. I see no attractive side to that." I said suddenly with a boost of confidence.

He seemed slightly taken aback but he still continued, "The attractive side that you don't see is that I get to spend two terms with you." He even added a wink.

Bec was completely at a lack of words, she even had to sit down in the seat beside his desk. I, on the other hand could handle myself and not look completely hopless in the presence of a boy.

He placed his hand on my small wrist and I almost jumped out of my skin. I have never come into physical contact with a teenage boy and I wasn't planing on starting now. I was extremely uncomfortable so with my other hand I lifted his palm off my wrist and let it drop out of my grip, where it slammed down on the desk.

"Unless you want to be doing this whole project by yourself, you should really tell me, my place or yours?" He repeated, still with the same smug look on his face.

"I'll let you know when I'm free." I told him, spinning around on my heel and not giving him as much as a backwards glance.

"Mine it is." He called out just before the bell sounded.

I stepped to the back of the class room where the teacher notified us that the babies were there, ready for us to collect. I retreived one with light brown hair and crystal baby blue eyes.

"What are we naming her?" A seductive voice said from behind me, causing the hairs on my back to crawl up.

"You don't even know my name so I'm not expecting you to name a baby." I said to him, not even turning around. Excuse my bad manners but this boy was already on my nerves.

"Our baby," he corrected me. "Your name is Alexandra Binks but I'm just gonna call you Al." He said, his hot breath hitting the back of my neck would send a normal teenage girl into a fluster but I'm not a normal teenager so it just made me extremely uncomfortable.

"Great, our baby's dad is a stalker!" I said sarcastically.

"One. I'm not a dad and two. I read the tag on your book." He placed his hands on my shoulder and he spun me around. His touch made me shudder and not in a good way. His hands were so warm and easily missed but I didn't want to feel that, not with him and not with anyone. There, in his hands was my health class exercise book.

"Yeah," I said snatching my book out of his hands, "but you've had enough experience to create a baby to be a dad to hundreds of children." I snapped at him.

A small smile curved on the left side of his lip, "It looks like you've been doing your research on me Al, I'm flattered." He said happily to me which really pressed my buttons.

"I would never waste my research time on you." I shot back.

"But you'd waste all your other time on me," he said. I swear he is highly infatuated with himself.

You'd think he'd get the message by now but obviously I had to spell it out for him.

"I'm not interested." I said slowly so he could understand clearly.

"You will," he replied and with that he walked out of class. Swinging the bag over his shoulder and with not even so much as common curtesy to say good bye.

I hadn't even had sex with the guy and he's left me single with a baby. Oh and for the record I'm defintely not planning of having sex with him. I'm not that kind of girl.

There is no way in hell am I working with him.

~*~

I was waiting in my car, leaning over my seat trying to see through the passanger window. There was a whole team on the court but I couldn't find my sister. Although it was a fair distance away and all I could see was short skirts with bodies I can actually depict Tara and Tara was not at practice. It was an hour after school, a whole hour I had been waiting for someone who wasn't there. She has netball training every Monday afternoon yet she seems to enjoy skipping.

Due to the fact that we aren't American and our school doesn't support the sport, we don't have cheerleaders, but if we did, Tara would work hard to get in that team. That's why next year she wants to leave Australia and fly over to America and make a career out of cheer leading. Although I told her several times that you can't make a career out of cheer leading, she simply flicks her hair off her shoulder, smiles and walks away.

Moments later there was a vibration coming from the pocket of my skirt. I unzipped the pocket and my hand dived in, retrieving my phone.

"Hello." I said bitterly, taking note that it was Tara calling.

"Where are you? Mum and Dad want you home, unless you're on a date as well then I'll cover for you." I ignored what she said as I became angry quickly.

"I'm at the school, waiting for you!" I said through gritted teeth.

"I told you I was on a date," my sister informed me.

"I've been waiting here for an hour Tara, why couldn't you have reminded me?" The blood was boiling in the pit of my stomach. I was upset with myself that I didn't remember and I wasn't organised. Also the whole fact that she skipped net ball practice because she had a date is so not on.

"Sorry," she said but it was my fault, she shouldn't be sorry.

I was too upset that I couldn't even say goodbye. The car park was empty so with the windows open, I screamed to let all my fury out.

"Was that our baby or you?" A voice that I didn't want to be familiar with said.

"Don't you have somewhere to be like detention?" I offored and he chuckled.

"Just finished for the day." He said, placing his arms on the ledge of my open window.

I pressed the button to roll the windows up to scare him but he didn't flinch, he knew that I wasn't going to follow through with it.

"Are you going to give me your address or will I have to search you up in the white pages?" He asked me with a small mischievous smile.

"Yet you claim that you aren't a stalker," I replied and it caused his smile to grow, not that I cared.

"We are going to have to work out a way that we look after this baby, can't let you do all the work." He told, resting effortlessly on my car.

"You are not coming to my house." I made my words stretch out so they were clear. I did not want him infecting my home, plus if he was there Tara would be a distraction and then they would be at it in my house, no thank you.

"Great so my house, how about tomorrow after school?" He suggested and that was when I noticed the thin tooth pick clenched between his teeth.

After I didn't respond he seemed to take it as a yes, "Oh and don't bring your car tomorrow, I'll give you a ride." He said some what kindly. He then stepped out of the way to reveal his ride.

"No way in hell am I getting on a bike" I told him straight.

"You say that now, you just wait. Plus, my mum has saved all my baby stuff so you will be spending a lot of time at my house," he said as though he knew something I didn't. He had me there, I had no equipment for a baby at my house, my mum had chucked everything out as she wasn't planning on having another baby.

It looked as though I was going to be spending a lot of time with my complete oposite. Mr. Player.